Mask of Innocence
by All The Stars In The Sky
Summary: Sequel to Bring Him Back. Fogpaw, Hailpaw and Flowerpaw are the kits of Whitewing and Ashfur. When one of them meets a rogue who takes advantage of her, there's only one cat who knows and can save the Clan, but it's impossible for her to tell anyone.
1. Chapter 1

**Finally I've started writing the sequal to Bring Him Back. Sorry for the long wait everyone, I hope you like it!**

Her dark green eyes held no mercy as they peered between the fronds of a fern. They watched her unsuspecting victim as he strutted about, not worried at all. She licked her lips. Soon her teeth would be sinking into his soft flesh, soon her tongue would be coated with his blood, but soon wasn't enough. 

Flowerpaw leapt out of her hiding space and pounced onto the brown mouse, pinning it down with two paws. She let it struggle for awhile, watching its eyes grow frantic and listening as it squealed. She sank her claws slowly into its flesh and enjoyed the feeling of power. Finally she bit its neck and silenced it.

"Flowerpaw! You know enough not to play with your food before you kill it!" Spiderleg's disapproving mew made her insides twinge with guilt as her mentor padded up to her. She looked up at him and then back down.

"Sorry Spiderleg. Are we done hunting?" she asked, glancing at the darkening sky.

"I suppose. By the way, your hunting crouch is getting very good," he complimented her, and she flicked her tail smugly. Of course it was good! She had been practising it forever, until she could finally get it right. 

On their way back to camp, the two cats collected the prey they had caught earlier. Flowerpaw entered camp with two mice and a squirrel, while Spiderleg carried a mouse and a couple of voles. The day's hunting had been good, but leaf-bare was approaching and soon it would fill the forest with nothing but snow, cold, and dreadful weather.

When she emerged from the thorn tunnel, the first thing Flowerpaw saw was the gray pelt of her brother Fogpaw dashing towards her. His blue eyes were wide and excited, and he was prancing around like some kit who's just been complimented by a warrior. She almost sighed, but pushed it away and forced herself to act interested in whatever he was about to tell her.

"Hey Flowerpaw! Guess what?" he asked, padding around her in a circle. She kept walking until they had reached the fresh-kill pile.

"What," she said, lacking enthusiasm.

"You have to _guess_," he whined, finally sitting down beside her. Flowerpaw gave him a 'don't-mess-with-me-because-I'm-not-in-the-mood' look, and he let out an exaggerated sigh.

"_Fine! _I'll tell you. Sandstorm said tomorrow I get to practise battle moves with you in the training hollow!" he yowled excitedly. 

"Calm down, Fogpaw! That's great. I'll get to practise my new move on you," she mewed mysteriously. For a moment, Fogpaw seemed a bit scared, but then he got over it.

"What new move? You won't be able to beat me anyways!" he exclaimed, pushing out his chest and looking up at the sky. He closed his eyes, and Flowerpaw saw her chance. She tackled her brother, pushing him onto the ground and holding him there.

She and her brother were the same size, so it wasn't too hard for her to play-fight with him. They were evenly matched, making it more interesting to practise battle moves. 

"Hey! I think Hailpaw was looking for you guys, but I'm not sure," Adderpaw's mew made them stop their play-fight. Flowerpaw licked the dust from her white fur and looked at him. The light brown tabby had amber eyes, and he was big and muscular. His brother, Maplepaw was behind him, with the same body built but a cream and white coat.

"Thanks," mewed Fogpaw, and his blue eyes instantly started searching the clearing for his sister. Suprisingly, he was closer to Hailpaw than Flowerpaw herself. For some reason, they weren't as close as some sisters were, but it didn't really matter. They were still good friends.

"So how's your training been?" asked Flowerpaw, gazing warmly at the two toms.

"Great!" said Maplepaw. "Berrynose is taking me on dawn patrol tomorrow!"

Adderpaw nodded his head in agreement to his brother's first statement. "I think I'm going hunting with Brambleclaw tomorrow," he mewed.

"Sounds exciting," replied Flowerpaw, moving slightly closer to them. Her green gaze flickered back and forth between the two toms. They were her best friends after her own siblings. They were only a day apart, and so had done everything together, since they were able to open their eyes and play.

Suddenly, Adderpaw flinched slightly, and his eyes were filled with what seemed like disgust. Flowerpaw turned around and saw Fogpaw beckoning for Hailpaw to come over. She watched as the pale gray she-cat excitedly ran, her tail waving in greeting. 

Flowerpaw watched as Adderpaw's eyes lingered over the deformed half of her face, and then he stared, mesmorized, at her eyes.

They were a sharp, blue-gray, but there was something stange about them. They weren't the soft blue of a perfect summer's day like Fogpaw's, but they made you feel as if you can't look away. She sat down beside Fogpaw, making him look huge. Her small, delicate frame had never caught up to the size of her siblings, but it didn't seem to bother her much.

"Are you going hunting with Birchfall tomorrow?" asked Fogpaw, glaring at Adderpaw to get him to stop staring. Hailpaw nodded, her piercing eyes on Fogpaw. As they got into deeper conversation, Adderpaw leaned over to whisper in Flowerpaw's ear.

"She still hasn't talked yet?"

"Nope. _Not one word_."

**I hope you liked the first chapter, please review! Just so you don't get confused, here's the apprentices and their mentors:**

**Flowerpaw - Spiderleg**

**Fogpaw - Sandstorm**

**Hailpaw - Birchfall**

**Adderpaw - Brambleclaw**

**Maplepaw - Berrynose**

**Another thing you should know is that now all the apprentices in Dark River are warriors (Lionpaw, Hollypaw, Mousepaw, Hazelpaw, Poppypaw, Berrypaw, Honeypaw, and Cinderpaw) Also this is short but it's kind of an intro so you know a bit about all of the apprentices. Thanks for reading, and please review! -Sky**


	2. Chapter 2

**I thought Id reply to the reviews, thanks to everyone who did!**

**Gladewing:** Thanks! Yes I've been tempted to read yours but I've been so busy lately! It's taken forever just to update.

**Forever.Now: **Heres the next chapter :)

**Forbiddenrace1: **Im glad you think so!

**Rockstorm: **Thank you so much! Not really AdderxHail, he was looking at her with disgust :P But there may be someone for her in later chapters...

**Heartsongs Fanfictions: **Thanks

**Silversparrow19: **Sounds interesting, Ill check it out soon

**Cloudy: **Thank you! I think I may give Hailpaw some strange habits as well, just to make her more interesting.

**The Only Pancake:** Im glad youre so excited :)

**Dreams Of My Heart: **Thank you, you should check it out.

**Stardawn: **Yeah she does seem kinda evil at the beginning.. hehe..

**Rainfeathers Hope: **Enjoy the next chapter!

**Sleets: **Thanks, I thought it would make her more interesting.

**Just to let you know, I rewrote chapter 6 of Bring Him Back, so if you havent read it yet please do! **

Flowerpaw slunk through the forest, her paws sinking into the damp soil. Her muscles ached from the battle training earlier, and it had only just stopped raining, drenching the forest. Small drops of rain fell from the trees, splattering onto her face and making her let out a hisses of annoyance every now and then.

Flowerpaw strained her eyes to make out the forest in front of her. Only a small amount of moonlight managed to make it down to the ground, it's silvery glow adding an eerie effect to the night. She plodded on, not paying attention to where she was going. Of course, she wouldn't cross into another Clan's territory. She wasn't a mouse-brain.

Flowerpaw pricked her ears and jerked her head sharply to her right... She could hear something. The fur on the back of her neck began to bristle threateningly, although she could feel her legs shaking with fear. Someone was watching her. She saw a gleam of blue eyes, and then a flash of gray fur.

"Hah! Gotcha!" Fogpaw yowled gleefully, pouncing onto his sister's back and pummelling her lightly with his hind legs. Flowerpaw hissed in surprise and annoyance; why had he been following her? She shoved her brother off of her and turned to face him.

"What are you doing?" she snarled quietly, anger still pulsing through her. She hated being scared like that. She hated anything unexpected.

"Well... I could ask _you_ the same thing," he mewed mysteriously.

Flowerpaw let out a small 'huff'. "Hailpaw was sleeping with all of her legs pushed into my back, and she was keeping me awake. When I woke her up she glared at me and acted as if _I _was doing some kind of crime or something! So I decided to go for a walk," she explained, narrowing her eyes angrily at the thought of Hailpaw.

_I didn't even _do _anything! _she thought.

"Oh. I just thought it'd be fun to follow you," said Fogpaw cheerfully. Flowerpaw rolled her eyes and then began to walk away.

"Can I-" started Fogpaw, but was cut off by Flowerpaw.

"Yes!" she sighed, and Fogpaw began to walk with her, matching her step for step.

A chilly breeze swept past them, ruffling their fur and making Flowerpaw shiver unhappily. They had to be close to ThunderClan's far border now, since she had been walking for quite awhile. She suddenly wished she had just stayed in the apprentice den, where it was warm and safe.

The familiar smell of ThunderClan was up ahead, and Flowerpaw paused at the border, feeling her already soaked paws sink into the mud. She peered into the darkness; there was more forest, unrecognizable and unfamiliar, an area of rogues and loners, and who knows what else.

The forest was so quiet, except for the repetetive plinking noise as rain dripped from the trees and splashed on the ground. Other than that, it was still, as if she and Fogpaw were frozen in time. Neither of them moved a muscle.

Flowerpaw tensed; a strange feeling ran down her spine, and she felt her fur stand up. She glanced at her brother, who was looking around worriedly.

"Something weird's happening," he whispered. Flowerpaw nodded her agreement.

"Let's go home," she suggested, and Fogpaw immediately began padding back towards camp. Flowerpaw followed him, but something made her look back.

A pair of gleaming, yellow eyes broke through the darkness, and disappeared in a second. Flowerpaw stared, mesmorized, before running off skittishly back to camp with Fogpaw. She knew they were watching her. She knew that she had to find out why. She knew she had to go back another day.

Hailpaw blinked open her eyes and yawned lazily, rolling over so that she was out of the sun. The sun! She glanced out into the clearing and saw that it was teeming with activity. It had to be almost sunhigh! Guilt gnawed at her belly as she jumped out of her nest and padded outside, squinting because of how bright it was.

Her icy blue eyes searched the clearing for a familiar pelt. She watched as Flowerpaw headed towards the thorn tunnel with her mentor Spiderleg close behind. Her sister didn't seem as excited to go train as she usually was, and Hailpaw was soon puzzled as Flowerpaw glanced warily around camp before leaving.

Something was up.

Hailpaw began trotting in her direction, hoping to follow her and see if there was something wrong. Curiosity tugged at her, making her begin to run. She dashed towards her escape out of camp, but then stopped abruptly.

"Hailpaw! Lets go train," called Birchfall from the other side of the clearing. A sudden burst of fury filled her as she forced herself to take stiff steps back to her mentor. _Why _did he have to stop her then!?

Just when she was about to find out something that could be important, since Flowerpaw never, _ever _was wary of something. She never had to look around to check her back. Flowerpaw extremely confident, and had no doubts in her abilities as an apprentice. For her to be acting this way was so strange.

_I'll find out later, _she told herself firmly, and followed Birchfall to the training hollow.

**Hey everyone, a bit of a filler chapter but I hope you liked it. Definately not one of my best, I had to rewrite this because I didn't like my first version. Please excuse my terrible writing, school was so boring I was tempted to stab myself in the eye with my pen, leaving me without creativity to write. Blehh. But anyways, please review and I'll love you forever!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks to all of my wonderful reviewers, here's your third chapter!**

Flowerpaw crept out of the apprentice's den, her bright green eyes darting around nervously. She glanced back, and was relieved to see everyone sleeping peacefully, small bundles of pelts softly rising and falling. She took a calming breath, and then quickly trotted to the other side of camp. She went through the exit to dirt-place, since she didn't want anyone trying to find her if she told whoever was on guard duty that she was going out into the forest.

The night was still, cool, and dark. The near full moon was hidden behind dark clouds you could see through the almost empty tree branches, and the stars weren't as bright as usual. When she noticed that, a shiver went through her spine, but she ignored the feeling of foreboding that was creeping up on her .

The forest ground was littered with dry, crisp leaves. When you stepped on them, they crackled loudly, sending off an alarm to any animal that would be close enough to hear. This was quite a nuisance while hunting or even sneaking off like she was, since it was rare when you could find a bare patch of earth anywhere.

Still, Flowerpaw was able to get past camp without alerting any cat or drawing attention to herself. She broke out in a run once she was far away from camp, not caring about the noise she was making. It was better if he or she (she didn't know yet) knew she was there.

It wasn't long before she reached the ThunderClan border she had been at a few suns ago. She hadn't been able to sneak out the past nights because of nosy siblings, hard training sessions, and such. Finally she was here! A small burst of joy entered her when she thought about all of this.

It's back to business now. She was slowly placing her paws in front of her, creeping across the border and into the unknown forest, where there were no rules. Where she wasn't protected. Where anything could happen.

A few foxlengths past the border, a strange scent hit her nose. It was a cat, but so unfamiliar, unlike even rogues she had scented on ThunderClan land sometimes. She looked puzzled, and began following the scent.

"Hmm.. So young, yet sneaking about on other cats' territory?" a deep, rasping voice made her jump. Her head swung from one side to the other, searching for the cat who spoke. She could tell it was a tom.

She saw the same eyes as before, the same eerie, yellow eyes, staring, unblinking, out of the darkness. An icy feeling took hold of her, flowing through her body and holding her on her spot. All of the reasons why she shouldn't have come ran through her head, and her tail quivered.

"Well..." she thought of something to say, but nothing came to her. She felt her ears pin down onto her skull, and raised the fur on her neck. She couldn't show him she was scared. She was suddenly surprised as the cat let out a chuckle.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he spoke quietly, "I'm merely wondering what drove you to come here. It isn't often we see visitors."

_We!?_

"I saw your eyes the other night. I was just curious," she admitted.

"Curiosity kills the cat," he mewed mysteriously. Flowerpaw heard crunching leaves and realized he was walking away. She bounded after him, but he was hard to see in the near-darkness. She could just make out that he had a pure black pelt, probably one of the reasons he was so hard to see.

"Wait!" she called, and he turned around.

"You need to get back on your side of the border. Come back in two suns if you wish to know more about what lies over here," he spoke so quietly, almost as if he was whispering. Flowerpaw nodded her head and then headed back towards ThunderClan.

_Just two suns..._

**(Imaginary line because the real one won't work)**

Hailpaw watched as the first few rays of dawn entered the clearing through the trees. The moon would be full tonight and Hailpaw was wondering if she would be picked to go. It would be her first Gathering if she did, and if she didn't it would be the second one she's missed.

Birchfall's light tabby pelt emerged from the warrior's den, and Hailpaw pricked her ears excitedly as he came over to her.

"At around sunhigh we're going to do battle training in the hollow with Maplepaw, but for now you can just relax. The Gathering's tonight, and I talked to Firestar. You're going, so don't wear yourself out," he told her quickly, and Hailpaw's eerie blue eyes lit up. She blinked her thanks to her mentor, and then watched as he padded away to wake up some other cats for a dawn patrol.

Hailpaw walked back to the apprentice's den, where she laid down between Maplepaw and Fogpaw. It was quite comforting to have two powerful toms on either side of you while you slept, and Hailpaw was great friends with both of them. As she laid there with her head on her paws, her icy gaze swept over Flowerpaw. She had come back into the den and woken up Hailpaw late last night, although Flowerpaw didn't know anyone had noticed. Hailpaw didn't think much of it, but had noticed she didn't seem as jumpy as she had been the past few days.

She knew that on the other side of Maplepaw was Adderpaw, and distaste ran through her mind. The tabby tom was rude and obnoxious, always staring at her as if he were about to retch. She knew it was because of her face. Most cats were nice to her, but could get annoying. They sometimes acted like if they didn't mention, maybe she'd forget it was there. But how could she forget? Not with cats like Adderpaw, always whispering about her, their disapproving gazes never leaving her face.

If she could, she would've sighed right then. A bit of air did escape her lungs, but there was no sound. No words could ever pass her lips, nothing could ever be spoken. She wished StarClan would give her a reason for this, for everything wrong with her. Was she being punished? Was Whitewing or Ashfur, her parents being punished by having to watch their daughter go through the same type of thing that her grandmother, Brightheart had to? At least she still had both eyes, she thought. Not everything could be perfect. No one could have everything. But she could still wish. She could stll wonder of what it would be like if she wasn't deformed, if she could talk. She could still dream of being _perfect._


	4. Chapter 4

**Here's chapter four! If you read it, please review! Also, check out my poll on my profile. Thanks!**

Hailpaw sat with the rest of her Clan beside the tree-bridge on the island, waiting for Firestar's command to enter the clearing where the meeting would take place. The full moon shone brightly in a clear sky, the wind was still. She could hear the murmur of voices, and knew that just beyond the bushes and trees were tons of cats from the other Clans. She suddenly felt very small.

The whole journey to the island her mind was buzzing in worry. Would the cats make fun of her? What would they say when they saw her face? Would she be shunned, forced to sit by herself while many, many cats enjoyed each others company? It didn't matter, whatever happened, because she was there. She couldn't just leave. She had to face them.

Firestar's order rang through the still air, and at once the ThunderClan cats emerged into the clearing. Scents from ShadowClan, RiverClan and WindClan surrounded her, and she was a bit confused. Hailpaw stuck with her siblings, her icy blue eyes gazing warily around.

She gave Fogpaw a questioning look, and he shrugged. She felt so awkward, but wasn't about to go and meet other cats. It's not like she could say 'hello' or anything.

"Come on you guys, I want you to meet Mallowpaw and Sneezepaw," mewed Foxpaw, guiding Hailpaw and her siblings towards a group of apprentices. Hailpaw could scent RiverClan and ShadowClan, and flicked her tail uncomfortably as she sat down.

All of the apprentices had different reactions when they saw her. One of the cats from ShadowClan, a tabby tom with large, powerful shoulders looked at her as if he were gazing at a piece of foxdung. The other was whispering to him, avoiding her eyes. The two RiverClan cats greeted her with friendly mews, although they didn't try start conversation. Hailpaw's eyes never left the ground. _Soon it will be all over._

Hailpaw listened to the apprentices chatter away, almost smirking when she heard one of the ShadowClan toms mention a badger attack had left a few of their warriors injured. At least that was one good thing about not being able to talk. She'd never be able to accidentally say something she'd regret.

It wasn't long before Blackstar's impatient yowl hushed the chatter in the clearing. Almost immediately, the cats began to find seats in front of the large pine tree where the leaders sat, their heads raised and ears pricked. The ShadowClan leader began talking.

"ShadowClan has little too report. Our prey is running well and all of our warriors are in great shape," he spoke proudly, as if his Clan had won some type of award. Hailpaw snorted, trying not to laugh. "We have three new apprentices, who are with us today. Dawnpaw, Flamepaw, and Tigerpaw!"

Mews of congratulations could be heard as all heads turned to the ShadowClan apprentices. Hailpaw recognized the cats she had met earlier. Her eyes narrowed.

Onestar was next to speak. "WindClan has nothing to say, except that we've been experiencing problems with two-legs, but we are dealing with it well." His tone explained that if anyone tried to think they had an advantage over WindClan or thought it was a good time to attack, they were wrong.

"RiverClan is doing fine. We have recovered well since moving back to our camp, and one of our elders, Swallowtail, has died from a poisoned rabbit." The Clans shocked mews were silenced by a wave of Leopardstar's tail. "It was sickly, and the apprentice shouldn't have caught it. Our elder will be recieved in StarClan with honour."

Hailpaw's heart started to race. Firestar was next to speak. That meant that everyone would be looking at her. She knew all of their eyes would hover on the deformed side of her face, she just knew it.

"ThunderClan is happy to say that we have five new apprentices, three of which are here today. We welcome Adderpaw, Maplepaw, Flowerpaw, Fogpaw, and Hailpaw as apprentices."

It happened. Her prediction was true. The glare of their eyes seemed like those of a monster. Soft whispers and murmurs rippled through the crowd of cats, but she met their gazes with her head held high, her eyes staring defiantly back at them. She distantly heard one cat exclaim, 'What a freak!' and another, 'What's wrong with her?' but forced herself to ignore it.

After what seemed like six moons, a leader called the end of the Gathering and the cats started to leave the clearing. Hailpaw's paws fell beside Fogpaws as they walked side-by-side, Flowerpaw chatting to Icepaw on her way back.

It hadn't been that bad, she tried telling herself, but it was a lie. It had been just how she imagined it, but worse. She couldn't get the image, the sound, the whole scene out of her head. They thought she was a freak.

Right then, the only thing she wanted in the entire world was to not have been picked for the Gathering. To be in the apprentice's den with Maplepaw, listening to him as he wondered aloud about what news would be shared. To fall asleep with his reassuring warmth on one side of her. She needed him to tell her that no matter what, she wasn't a freak. That there were things worth living for. That he needed her to stay with him. Because he's the only one that matters.

**Hope everyone liked it, but before people start saying that Hailpaw and Maplepaw are in love or something, think about this: He's the only apprentice who actually talks to her, other than her own siblings. Adderpaw is extrememly rude, and Foxpaw and Icepaw just try to ignore her, and stay out of her way. Hailpaw and Maplepaw have been best friends since birth. Wouldn't you want your best friend to tell you that you should live? But that doesn't mean they might not like each other later... Heh...**


	5. Chapter 5

Flowerpaw sat at the ThunderClan border, nervously debating whether or not to cross and talk to the mysterious rogue she had met. The past two suns had gone by quickly and uneventfully, filled with hard training sessions, border patrols, and long, quiet nights in the apprentice's den. Life had never been so simple. Until now.

The rustling of ferns alerted Flowerpaw that the strange black cat had come. She knew she had no choice now, and crossed the border, following his scent until she could see his yellow eyes, gleaming eerily in the darkness. Flowerpaw tried to be relaxed, but it was hard when you weren't in a familiar forest, knowing that your clanmates were there to watch your back if anything happened. Here, her safety was based only on the trust of a rogue who she had met once.

"You came," was the simple greeting from the black tom. He motioned for her to follow him, and proceeded a few fox-lengths deeper into the forest. He sat down facing her, and she did the same.

"I did. I was curious, again," she replied quietly. _Curiosity killed the cat..._

"What is your calling?" he asked in his deep, raspy voice.

"My what?" Flowerpaw gave him a puzzled look.

"Your calling. What a cat would address you by," he explained.

"Oh, my name! I'm Flowerpaw. Who're you?" Her bright green gaze was fixed on him, her eyes wide with wonder. If he even talked differently than Clan cats, who knows what other strange ways this cat may live by.

"Ebony. So tell me, young Flowerpaw, how far is your mind in your learnings of hunting and fighting?" It took Flowerpaw a second to try and figure out what he was asking, and then finally answered him.

"Well, I've been training for two moons so far. I'm a fairly good hunter, and an even better fighter," she said proudly.

"Hmm," Ebony said with wonder, "A fairly good hunter? How about you prove it to me. Catch something," he said with a daring tone. Flowerpaw snorted. Of course she would prove it! This cat was acting as if he didn't even believe she could catch a leaf fluttering to the ground!

His yellow eyes gleaming, Ebony followed Flowerpaw about three tail-lengths behind as she crouched down on the forest floor with her ears pricked. Soon the enticing scent of squirrel hit her nose, and she could hear small shuffling noises just beyond a few trees. Carefully, she placed one paw in front of the other, trying to get close to her prey. Hiding behind a tree, she dared to peek one eye around the trunk, and saw a little brown squirrel nibbling on a nut. Quickly, she darted out and pounced, slowly sinking her teeth into it's tiny neck and hearing a satisfying 'crack!'

Flowerpaw padded over to where Ebony had sat to watch her hunt, the limp squirrel in her jaws.

"Share?" she asked in a muffled voice from the squirrel. She dropped it onto the dusty ground in front of him and took a few small bites.

Ebony nodded his thanks and finished the fresh-kill off, leaving behind a messy carcass. His eyes were now watching Flowerpaw interestedly.

"Very good. You have the makings of a great cat, Flowerpaw. If you follow the right path you can achieve great things," said Ebony, slightly smirking as the she-cat's blue eyes widened in wonder.

Flowerpaw looked as if she were about to talk, but Ebony spoke instead. "You wanted to know more about what is on this side of the border?" He didn't wait for an answer.

"Here there are many cats, some who are rogues, others who have formed something similar to your lifestyle. We live together, under a set of guidelines that have been agreed by the higher-powers. Our ways are strict and sometimes harsh, but no one has ever disagreed with us or left us."

"What are 'higher-powers'?" asked Flowerpaw as Ebony took a small break from talking.

"The higher-powers are the cats who are in control, who have the most impact on what goes on. They are closest to our leader, and are given special jobs."_ Kind of like senior warriors, _thought Flowerpaw.

"Do you all hunt for the whole... group of cats?" asked Flowerpaw, wondering if they had a fresh-kill pile.

"No," Ebony told her, "Cats are assigned to hunt for certain other cats. It's a complex system, and takes awhile to learn."

"What do-" Flowerpaw was cut off by Ebony.

"I think it is your time to leave. The sun will be seen soon."

"Can I come back?" asked Flowerpaw excitedly, jumping up and waving her tail enthusiastically.

"In two more suns. But do not get caught," he warned her, and then turned away, disappearing into the forest without another word.

**(Imaginary Line)**

Hailpaw crouched in the darkness, her muscles cramped from being in the same position for so long. She had woken up in the middle of the night, and had found Flowerpaw's nest empty and cold. She had then crept carefully outside, and hid in the shadows beside the thorn tunnel.

_Hurry up Flowerpaw! _she thought, wishing that she had just stayed in her nest and gone back to sleep. The sound of approaching pawsteps made Hailpaw prick her ears and tense her legs. She scented the air, and her heartbeat quickened. It was Flowerpaw.

As soon as Flowerpaw's white shape came into view, Hailpaw pounced and knocked the she-cat over. Flowerpaw let out a yowl of confusion and anger, and kicked hard with her back legs. Hailpaw dodged her just in time, and then moved to pin her sister to the ground.

"Help! I'm being attacked!" yowled Flowerpaw, struggling to break free of Hailpaw's grip. Hailpaw's icy blue eyes darted around nervously as cats began to run out of their dens, hissing angrily and ready for battle. Hailpaw stepped off her sister.

"Hailpaw, Flowerpaw! What is this all about?" Firestar's stern voice made all of the cats in the clearing look up at their leader. Hailpaw opened her mouth but she knew it was useless. How could she tell everyone that Flowerpaw had been sneaking out of camp?

"I was just making dirt, and when I came back, Hailpaw attacked me!" hissed Flowerpaw, glaring at her sister. Hailpaw's eyes widened. That was a lie! Sure, she had gone out the dirt-place tunnel, but it didn't take _that _long just to make dirt! Hailpaw felt her fur beginning to bristle. She lashed her tail angrily.

"Hailpaw, why would you do that?" asked Firestar, his green gaze directly on her. Frusterated, she flicked her ears.

"Maybe she just wanted attention or something," mewed Flowerpaw, and Hailpaw unsheathed her claws. She tensed her back legs, about to pounce-

"Stop!" yowled Firestar. "Flowerpaw, go back to the apprentice's den. Hailpaw, Spiderleg, come with me. We need to discuss Hailpaw's punishment."

It wasn't fair! Why should Hailpaw get punished for Flowerpaw's _lies_?! Hailpaw's eyes flamed as she put mouse-bile on the tick that was wedged into Mousefur's skin. She wrinkled her nose in disgust. Now she knew for sure, she would not let her sister get away with whatever she was up to.


	6. Chapter 6

"I've got a surprise for you," murmured the black cat, his yellow eyes bright despite the darkness. Flowerpaw's ears pricked excitedly, but she didn't ask him what it was. She had learned that when it came to Ebony and getting answers, patience was your best chance. So she sat quietly, her blue eyes searching the darkness for any sign of the surprise that he was talking about.

She blinked in shock. Another scent hit her nose, similar to Ebony's, but feminine, and something that she had never experienced before. She could see the amusement in the tom's eyes at her confused expression, and could just barely make out the flick of his black tail, signalling someone forward.

Her eyes were already focused to the dark night, and she could tell there was nothing normal about the cat that had emerged from the ferns to stand in front of her. The she-cat's fur was the lightest shade of white that Flowerpaw had ever seen, so pure and unbroken and beautiful that she stared at it in awe for a few seconds, before noticing any of the other irregularities this cat had forced upon her. Flowerpaw's eyes travelled to focus on her face; it was stunning, but that wasn't what kept her staring. Where skin on her face was visible, it was the lightest shade of pink, something that was strange and new to her. But her eyes, her eyes were the true reason of the young apprentices open gawking. They contained none of the familiar colors that she knew of in a cats eyes. They were pink, almost red, and looking into them, it felt as if some force were holding her there, glueing her eyes to the she-cat.

"This is Ivory," Ebony's deep voice brought her back to reality. She quickly glanced at the tom, but it was impossible not to look at Ivory for more than a couple seconds. Ivory dipped her head politely, and drew her eyes to the ground. Embarassed.

Guilt washed through Flowerpaw so strong, clutching at her heart and forcing her to look back at Ebony. He was serious now; all signs of amusement had vanished.

"Ivory is like my sister; we've known each other and travelled together since we were just kits. We found our current home together. We decided to stay there together. Most cats would never allow a cat like her in their presence. Obviously, she is quite different than any cat that either of us has met. But only in her looks. She is just as capable as any other cat in the forest, and her strange fur and eyes have not stopped her from succeeding. In our family, many irregularities are found and welcomed without second thoughts, because it makes us stronger. Every cat has a place. Every cat has a home."

His voice was warm and thoughtful as he spoke about his life, and Ivory lifted her head to gaze at him adoringly. The sound of this group of cats and their lifestyle was sounding more and more appealing to Flowerpaw with every night-time visit she made to ThunderClan's border. Since Hailpaw was enslaved to punishment-at least, that's how Flowerpaw liked to think of it as-it was ridiculously easy to sneak out of camp every other night, to hear more and more about this mysterious way of life.

Every once in a while Ebony would ask her questions about her life and things going on in the Clans, which Flowerpaw answered quickly and thoughtlessly, eager to hear more about his own life. Ebony spoke again, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"I didn't just bring Ivory here to stare at. Like every other cat, she has her own story." He nodded to Ivory, and she opened her mouth to speak. Her voice was soft and quiet, much like a mother crooning to her newborn kits. It calmed Flowerpaw, made her less anxious about what she was about to hear.

"Our family has a place for everyone, as Ebony has told you. But I'm aware he hasn't gone far into detail about the specifics. There are so many choices, so many different ways you can help to benefit us and fit in. And depending on your talents and interests, you can be in more than one position. Like me, for example.

"Obviously something all females share in common is their ability to bring kittens into the family. Whenever I'm not helping that way, I'm assigned for hunting for the younger queens. They are the newest to kitting and since I'm not an amazing hunter they don't get a lot of choice. Usually I only hunt for one or two queens. We call them 'Junior Kit-Mothers' if you want to get very specific, but for short we call them the 'juniors'."

"So if you hunt for the juniors, who hunts for you?" Flowerpaw asked quietly while Ivory took a short break from speaking.

"We have a whole other group of cats whose only job is to hunt. Younger or inexperienced cats are always assigned to queens, but the rest hunt for whole groups of cats. For example; Some cats would all hunt for she-cats, and the rest of the hunters would hunt to fill a large pile of food that is in the feeding clearing. Cats with higher ranks get first pick of food, but everyone gets something."

Flowerpaw listened silently with awe as this amazing new world was described to her. She was so into it that she didn't notice the way Ivory tended to pause and carefully consider her words, or the warning glance that Ebony cast toward her near the end of her speech.

With a genuinely curious glance, Ivory asked Flowerpaw to tell her about the Clans, and Flowerpaw opened her mouth all too willingly to chatter.

"Well, the only real special things that happen are Gatherings. That's when all four Clans come to the island and share news, or warnings about foxes and badgers, stuff like that. Not everyone gets to go, though. A few cats stay behind to guard the camp, as well as kits and their mothers. I probably won't be going this full moon, since I went last time and we have a lot of apprentices."

Both of the strange cats eyes were fixed on her intently. A small grin tugged at the corner of Ebony's mouth, and he glanced at the sky. "Time for you to go. Will we meet at the regular time?" he asked quietly, and Flowerpaw nodded before scurrrying off into the undergrowth, waving her tail in farewell.

Ebony and Ivory slunk back to their territory, their hushed voices the only sound left to the dead night.

**I'm so so so so so so so so so sorry about not writing this sooner. I had a really busy summer, and I hope you guys didn't forget about me and my story! I also apologize if this chapter was a bit dry, it was mostly talking, but you need it to get on with the rest of the story. I'll try getting the next chapter up ASAP. -Sky**


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